234 Fertilizers 



FERTILIZERS FOR MEADOWS 



For meadows used as pastures, a more liberal appli- 

 cation of the mineral elements is recommended, since 

 an abundance of these encourage the growth of the 

 clovers, which make a richer herbage than the grasses. 

 Heavy nitrogenous fertilization is expensive, and en- 

 courages the growth of the grasses rather than the clovers. 

 Pasturing, while less exhaustive than hay cropping, 

 nevertheless results in the gradual depletion of fertility, 

 and an abundant growth of rich pasturage can only be 

 secured where there is an abundant supply of available 

 plant-food. Mixtures made up of acid phosphate, ground 

 bone and muriate of potash in equal proportions make 

 very good dressings, if applied in sufficient quantity, 300 

 to 500 pounds to the acre annually. The ground bone is 

 recommended because it decays slowly, and thus fur- 

 nishes a continuous supply of nitrogen and of phosphoric 

 acid. The application should preferably be made both 

 in spring and in late summer, in order to secure a good 

 growth, as well as to encourage the introduction of the 

 clovers. Pastures become very acid in time and the ap- 

 plication of lime is important. The carbonate form or 

 ground limestone usually produces best results. Appli- 

 cations of 500 pounds annually or a single application of 

 one and one-half tons every five or six years should be 

 made. If caustic lime is used, an application of 1500 

 pounds every four or five years should be sufficient, though 

 the first application might be much more liberal. In 

 any system of continuous cropping, or in fact in any sys- 

 tem of rotation-cropping, in which an abundance of 

 organic matter is introduced in the way of green crops, 

 or in decaying vegetable matter contained in roots, the 



